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John Yates Beall (1835-1865), Confederate soldier and acting master in the Confederate
Navy. At the outbreak of the Civil War, Beall joined Company G of the 2nd Virginia
Volunteers. After accepting a naval appointment in 1863, Beall led a failed attempt
to free Confederate prisoners on Johnson's Island in Sandusky Bay, Ohio. He was captured
soon after, tried before a Union military commission for espionage and violating the
laws of war, and hanged at Governor's Island, N.Y., on 24 February 1865. The papers
comprise two volumes, ca. 1865-1899 and ca. 1935-1942, documenting Beall's trial,
his time in prison, efforts to free him, and his execution. The volumes contain transcripts
of letters by and about Beall, and transcripts of miscellaneous items, including a
biographical sketch of Beall; the warrant appointing Beall acting master in the Confederate
Navy; his will; notes he made on his final wishes; and a clipping, 1935, regarding
the legend of Beall's ghost. One letter from Beall's lawyer describes attempts to
free Beall and Beall's last days. Letters written by Beall, who was imprisoned at
Fort Lafayette in New York Harbor and at Fort Columbus on Governor's Island during
February 1865, proclaim his innocence, communicate his last wishes, and request that
his name be cleared. The biographical sketch mentions only briefly Beall's life as
a student, a farmer, and a Confederate soldier prior to his trial.

Copyright is retained by the authors of items in these papers, or their descendants,
as stipulated by United States copyright law.

Alternate Form of Material

Microfilm copy (filmed June 2004) available.

Reel 1: Entire collection

Provenance

Volume 2 received from George Hamilton Sullivan in June 1942; volume 1 purchased from
McGowan Book Company of Chapel Hill, N.C., in January 1999 (Acc. 98296).

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John Yates Beall (1835-1865) was the son of George and Janet Yates Beall of Jefferson
County, Va. He attended the University of Virginia to study law, then returned to
Jefferson County to farm.

At the outbreak of the Civil War, Beall enlisted in Company G of the 2nd Virginia
Volunteers and served until wounded at Harper's Ferry, W.Va., in October 1861. In
1863, he accepted an appointment as acting master in the Confederate Navy. After leading
a failed attempt to free Confederate prisoners held on Johnson's Island in Sandusky
Bay, Ohio, Beall escaped, only to be captured later in Niagara, N.Y. Union officials
imprisoned Beall at Fort Lafayette in New York Harbor and later at Fort Columbus on
Governor's Island, N.Y. Tried and convicted by a military commission for acting as
a spy and violating the laws of war, Beall was hanged at Governor's Island on 24 February
1865.

Two volumes, dated ca. 1865-1899 and ca. 1935-1942, documenting the trial and execution of John Yates Beall, acting master in the Confederate Navy, for espionage and breaking the laws of war. The volumes contain transcripts of correspondence by and about Beall concerning
his 1865 trial and subsequent execution, and miscellaneous related items, including
a biographical sketch of Beall by his friend Daniel B. Lucas; the warrant appointing Beall acting master in the Confederate Navy; his will; notes he made on his final wishes; and a 1935
clipping regarding the legend of his ghost. One letter (45 p.), from Beall's lawyer, Albert Ritchie, in Baltimore, to Beall's mother, Janet Yates Beall, describes attempts to free Beall and Beall's last days. There is also a similar
shorter letter from the Reverend S. H. Weston. Letters from Beall, who was imprisoned at Fort Lafayette in New York Harbor and Fort Columbus on Governor's Island, N.Y., were written in February 1865 to his brother William Beall, to his friends James A. L. McClure in Baltimore and Mary Mildred Sullivan (Mrs. Algernon Sydney Sullivan), and to Confederate officers
Colonel Jacob Thompson in Toronto and Colonel Robert Ould in Richmond. The materials in the volumes mention only briefly Beall's life as a
student, a farmer, and a Confederate soldier prior to his trial.

Contents list

Two volumes, ca. 1865-1899 and ca. 1935-1942, containing transcripts (handwritten
and typed) of correspondence by and about Beall during and after his 1865 trial for
espionage, and transcripts of miscellaneous other items related to his Navy career, his trial
and execution, and to his last wishes.

Volume 1, entitled "John Yates Beall-In Memoriam" (78 p., handwritten transcriptions), compiled sometime between 1865 and 1899 by an
unknown individual, consists primarily of a 45-page letter, dated 1 March 1865, from
Beall's lawyer Albert Ritchie in Baltimore, Md., to Beall's mother, Janet Yates Beall, giving details of her son's trial, his final thoughts and actions, and Ritchie's
and others' attempts to have his sentence commuted. There is also a similar, though
shorter, letter to Janet Yates Beall from Reverend S. H. Weston that communicates her son's last wishes. Other letters in the volume include some
from Beall proclaiming his innocence, saying goodbye, and requesting that his commanders
attempt to clear his name. Included are one letter to his friend James A. L. McClure in Baltimore and one to his brother William Beall, both dated 14 February 1865 from Fort Lafayette, as well as one to Colonel Jacob Thompson in Toronto and one to Cololnel Robert Ould in Richmond, dated 21 February 1865 from Fort Columbus. Additional items are a biographical sketch of Beall by his college classmate Daniel B. Lucas; the warrant appointing Beall acting master in the Confederate Navy, 6 March 1863; Beall's will, 16 Februray 1865; and notes Beall made concerning his
burial and last wishes.

Volume 2, entitled "In Re the Execution of John Yates Beall-1865 " (16 p., typed transcriptions), was compiled sometime between 1935 and 1942, possibly
by George Hamilton Sullivan. This volume, which has been removed from its original binding, comprises three letters
Beall wrote to Mary Mildred Sullivan (Mrs. Algernon Sydney Sullivan) concerning her visiting him in prison; an account of Sullivan's successful efforts
to obtain permission for the visit; and a 1935 newspaper article, 3 January 1935,
concerning the legend of Beall's ghost on Governor's Island. Beall's letters to Sullivan are dated 14 February 1865 from Fort Lafayette and 17 and 21 February 1865 from Fort Columbus.